Gerard Melancon

Jockey Gerard Melancon, a mainstay atop the riding standings in his home state of Louisiana, was arrested Aug. 26 on a charge related to the alleged possession of an electrical shocking device after Evangeline Downs stewards reported an "incident" to state police. Ray Paulick of Paulick Report had the scoop in a Tuesday story. He cited confirmations of the "unnatural stimulation of horses" arrest from the St. Landry Parish sheriff's office, the clerk of the parish court, and the Louisiana State Police. But details were scant because of an "ongoing...

Strenuous safety-related objections from Delta Downs jockeys about the allegedly inconsistent lighting from a new system that has been installed and tweaked over the course of several months kept the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) from approving a return to night racing when regulators met for an emergency session to address that one item Monday morning. Mindy Coleman, an attorney representing The Jockeys' Guild, told commissioners on the Dec. 13 Zoom call that while the Delta-based riders recognize and appreciate the efforts track management has made to try to improve...

Junior Alvarado, Julien Leparoux, Deshawn Parker, Gerard Melancon and Scott Stevens are finalists for the 2021 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, the New York Racing Association announced Sunday. Created in 1989, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award is awarded to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career. All active jockeys in the continental U.S. are eligible to vote for...

Louisiana native Gerard Melancon became the 37th jockey in North America to reach the milestone of 5,000 wins when his mount in the eighth race at Evangeline Downs Thursday night, Reposado (Shackleford), crossed the wire in front by 5 3/4 lengths. The first time he had visited the winner's circle as a rider at Evangeline Downs was 37 years ago. Melancon's first professional ride was at Delta Downs in 1984. He has since ridden in more than 31,900 races and earned nearly $88 million in purse money. He had recently...